Twinn Swan

The Five of Pentacles tends to represent a financial crisis, but not a financial ruin. The corresponding Major Arcana cards for the Five of Pentacles are: the Tower and the Star. When the Five of Pentacles appears, expect a breakdown followed by a breakthrough. You can choose to look at it as a blessing or as a curse. But the truth is: it is just another one of life’s many chapters.

How we respond to an external breakdown (The Tower, Major Arcana) can reveal a lot to us about what is within us (The Star, Major Arcana). We can be devastated by the material loss, but we can become emotionally and mentally resilient through the process. There exists, the possibility of best and worst case scenarios when it comes to the Five of Pentacles. When the Five of Pentacles appears, it reminds us to make the most of the crisis that comes to our door.

While many tarot card readers choose to interpret the Five of Pentacles as a sign of misfortune, I’ve always believed that that is all a matter of perception. There is still a light that shines. With patience, the dark days will, indeed, end. A bright new future awaits…

KINDNESS

When the Five of Pentacles appears, it reminds us of the need to be kind to others. Money cannot make a man kind and nor can money make a man generous. What money can do is, in many ways, limited. At the same time, not having money can severely limit our options. Our financial status, whether it is for richer or for poorer, is not always a product of circumstance. It is a product of our own financial karma.

Do you share your gifts with others or do you hoard? The dollar figure you have in your bank account will not be able to make you feel secure, especially if you allow yourself to succumb to greed.

Many of us will most likely experience periods of financial abundance as well as periods of scarcity. You will, indeed, learn some hard truths about life when the Five of Pentacles appears. But it is up to you how you choose to interpret your circumstances, your financial status and your surroundings.

I’ve found that the Five of Cups tends to pop up when we’ve been left out in the cold and this is not just financially. This neglect can also be emotional and spiritual. Even when we don’t have money, we can still share our time, our effort and our energy. And above all, we can always share our knowledge. Remember to show kindness and generosity to others in whatever way you are able.

RAGS AND RICHES

Traditionally, the 5 of Pentacles, when it shows up in a reading, represents: poverty, illness, loneliness and not even having the funds to feed oneself and one’s family. If one is married and has a family, it usually heralds a period when the financial provider has failed to provide for their family. This in turn has led to a situation of destitution. This is a tangible reality that some families will experience due to bad financial decisions made by the one who was the primary financial provider. You may well end up going hungry when the 5 of Pentacles shows up.

If this has happened to you, this is not the time to drown in self-pity. You have to take the steps necessary to find solutions for your plight. Is there a church, a temple or an NGO that is able to help you given your current circumstances? No one actually expects you to fix this problem on your own, but you will have to accept the help and the opportunities that are being offered to you.

The Five of Pentacles can and usually does represent bankruptcy, job loss and even business failure. All in all, this is a card of a terrible financial crisis that will heavily impact your emotions, but only if you permit it to. If you have not attached your self-worth to your financial status, you will still feel the pinch, but not as terribly as someone who is extremely materialistic.

When the Five of Pentacles appears, know that not all is as it seems. If you are or if you have been in a relationship, expect that someone is about to abandon you for monetary reasons. In addition to your dire financial situation, you will also have to deal with feelings of abandonment, neglect and depression. This card does not only represent financial ruin, but also broken relationships and even permanent separation. I’ve found that the 5 of Pentacles can come up when a young person has had a falling out with a parent or when the family breadwinner has allowed an extramarital affair to get out of hand.

If you’ve lost a job or if you’ve resigned, you may find yourself having to rely on financial aid or assistance. The financial payout will, obviously, be far less than what you were previously accustomed to. Expect money to be tight when this card arises. If you have been indulging in unnecessary luxuries, this is a good time to curb your expenses and stop spending on all the things that are not needed. Lead a minimalist lifestyle and consume less. You may choose to become a vegetarian and eat as simply as possible. Who knows, your health may even improve.

TRUE WEALTH

The Five of Pentacles, can, in some instances, be an extremely positive omen. In a positive sense, it usually represents that you are in a period where you are taking to the steps necessary to overcome past difficulties, especially those that hark back to your childhood.

Were you born into poverty or into a rich family? Regardless and either way, who knows how our life will end? Some of us may be born poor and pass on as a rich man. Others may be born into wealth and leave this world as paupers in terrible debt. Perhaps you were born into a family where there was income inequity even within your family. Perhaps your cousin is rich and you are not. So what?

If you are single–and you don’t have a family–the 5 of Pentacles can represent that you will fully overcome any longstanding financial issues that have been pending in your life. Perhaps this period of rejection and isolation will teach you how to let someone in and financially support you. There is nothing wrong with choosing to be financially dependent on someone else.

When the Five of Pentacles appears, it comes to remind us that money alone cannot buy happiness. You are, indeed, the source of your own misery and due to that you have made everyone around you miserable as well. You must know and understand that even when you do become financially successful, your miserly attitude will not change.

If you have received a financial opportunity from someone–even if it is not up to your mark–have an honest discussion with them about why the compensation is so low. Perhaps the other party’s budgetary constraints are such that they are presently unable to give more. In such a scenario, it may be better to temporarily accept the opportunity than to reject it. Just take the opportunity knowing that there will, indeed, be bigger opportunities in the future.

If you are not in any long-term relationship, the Five of Pentacles indicates that you have no potential suitors or candidates. You may be alone but you may be daydreaming of a suitor who is going to sweep in to solve the problem for you. If you want a spouse or a partner to financially provide for you, make sure that they are able to.

Once your financial gain arrives, be cautious. Save for a rainy day.

FINANCIAL RUIN

Did I cause my own financial ruin? If so, how did it happen? What did I invest in that did not bear fruit financially? Why was it unfruitful? We don’t realise it but very often it is because we had the wrong role models. Who did you look up to growing up? Why did you look up to this person? Do you still look up to them or have you moved on?

Perhaps you had a particular business idol that you looked up to when you were young. When you got your ‘dream job’, you may have realised what a nightmare it is to work for his company! It only looked lovely from the outside and because of all its PR spin. On the inside, office politics is atrocious and the corruption is terrible!

When the reality of your ‘dream’ hits you, you may leave the office in tears for you feel as though all your dreams have been dashed. If so, know that, that was never ‘the true dream’ in the first place. Move on.

If you have, indeed, succumbed to having the wrong role models in your life, realise that you cannot put other people on a pedestal. Someone’s financial status does not make them a good person or even a good boss. In hindsight, you will wonder why you ever admired them in the first place.

FINANCIAL REDEMPTION

Finally, know that given time and the right support system and structure, you will be able improve your financial status. Others will be drawn to you because of your good energy and many new opportunities will come your way if you do not succumb to negativity.

Like I said, do not wallow in self-pity when the Five of Pentacles appears. Make the most from this moment of crisis. The Five of Pentacles can, indeed, represent redemption for a failing business. You will, after a much-needed hiatus–where you took time off to study and reinvent yourself (see 8 of Pentacles)–return to work in a victorious way.

You will overcome all of your financial difficulties and defeats. You will realise that financial stability is not a pipe dream, but rather, something that everyone can achieve. However, it is a state of affairs that one can only ever truly appreciate after a time of insecurity. If you’ve been hit by hard times, know that, this, too, shall pass.

What’s next? Perhaps when you look back, you will see that your brief period as a poor person was preparing you to be a rich man… or woman.